EEG & BCI Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
NeuroRehabilitation. 2014;34(2):355-63. doi: 10.3233/NRE-131039.
Mental practice using motor imagery of limb movement may facilitate motor recovery in persons who have experienced cerebrovascular accident (CVA). However, the lack of a feedback mechanism that can monitor the quality of the motor imagery affects patients' engagement and motivation to participate in the mental practice training program.
This study investigates the effect of novel real-time motor imagery-associated cortical activity feedback on motor imagery-based mental practice training.
Ten healthy volunteers were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Both groups participated in a five-visit motor imagery-based mental practice training program managed over a period of two months. The intervention group received mental practice training with real-time feedback of movement-associated cortical activity-beta band (16-28 Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD) in electroencephalography (EEG), using a novel custom-made brain-computer interface (BCI) system. The control group received the mental practice training program without EEG cortical feedback. Motor excitability was assessed by measuring the frequency power magnitude of the EEG rhythmic activity associated with physical execution of wrist extension before and after the motor imagery-based mental practice training.
The EEG frequency power magnitude associated with the physical execution of wrist extension was significantly lower (i.e. more desynchronized) after the mental practice training in the intervention group that received real-time cortical feedback (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference in EEG frequency power magnitude associated with the physical execution of wrist extension was observed before and after mental practice training in the control group who did not receive feedback.
The mental practice training program with motor imagery-associated cortical feedback facilitated motor excitability during the production of voluntary motor control. Motor imagery-based mental practice training with movement-associated cortical activity feedback may provide an effective strategy to facilitate motor recovery in brain injury patients, particularly during the early rehabilitation stage when full participation in physical and occupational therapy programs may not be possible due to excessive motor weakness.
使用肢体运动想象的心理练习可能有助于经历过脑血管意外 (CVA) 的人的运动康复。然而，缺乏可以监测运动想象质量的反馈机制会影响患者参与和参与心理练习训练计划的积极性。
本研究调查了新型实时运动想象相关皮层活动反馈对基于运动想象的心理实践训练的影响。
10 名健康志愿者被随机分配到干预组和对照组。两组均参加了为期两个月的五次基于运动想象的心理实践训练计划。干预组接受了基于运动想象的心理实践训练，同时使用新型定制的脑机接口 (BCI) 系统实时反馈运动相关皮层活动-β 波段（16-28 Hz）事件相关去同步化（ERD）的脑电图 (EEG)。对照组在没有 EEG 皮层反馈的情况下接受心理实践训练。通过测量与腕伸肌物理执行相关的 EEG 节律活动的频率功率幅度，评估运动兴奋性，在基于运动想象的心理实践训练前后进行。
在接受实时皮层反馈的干预组中，与腕伸肌物理执行相关的 EEG 频率功率幅度在心理实践训练后显著降低（即更去同步化）（P < 0.05），而在未接受反馈的对照组中，与腕伸肌物理执行相关的 EEG 频率功率幅度在心理实践训练前后无显著差异。
具有运动想象相关皮层反馈的心理实践训练方案促进了自愿运动控制产生过程中的运动兴奋性。具有运动相关皮层活动反馈的基于运动想象的心理实践训练可能为促进脑损伤患者的运动康复提供一种有效策略，特别是在早期康复阶段，由于过度的运动无力，可能无法完全参与物理和职业治疗计划。
